it's considered a must-win state for his presidential bid, and polls show he's been closing the gap with president obama. romney took questions from voters in mount vernon, prepping for his town hall-style debate with the president next week. and he hammered away on the economy. >> my whole passion is about helping the american people who are struggling right now. that's what this is about. the president says he's for middle class. how've they done under his presidency? not so well. i want to help the middle class get good jobs and better take- home pay. i know how to do that. >> sreenivasan: romney also underscored his anti-abortion stance after saying tuesday that he would not pursue abortion- related measures if he's elected. today, he told reporters, "i'll be a pro-life president." meanwhile, president obama spent the day at the white house. in an interview with radio host tom joyner, he said he's not surprised by the tightening polls. >> governor romney kept on making mistakes month after month so it made it looked artificially like this was, might end up being a cakewalk. but we un